Soooo… it’s everyone’s least favorite writing assignment, the dreaded “About Me” post. Woe is me! Yes, please, let me go ahead and sum up my entire being in a few paragraphs-sounds easy and fun and not at all intimidating and reductionistic *teenage eye roll*… I’ve started this post three or four times only to have it deteriorate into rambling (though personally enlightening!) journaling exercises exploring the essence and history of who I am. But it’s important that I help you get to know me, because that’s what MilspoFAN is all about – meeting each other and making connections. So, I’ve finally managed to pull together a post that I hope gives you an authentic but easy-to-swallow introduction to who I am.

The basics: My name is Jessica. I’m a freelance modern dancer choreographer and Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist (BC-DMT) who’s been on a multi-year journey trying to find a calling that is true to my values, needs, skills, and interests. MilspoFAN is the result of that voyage! I’m a Navy spouse and momma to a little girl, with a second baby girl making her debut in July. I grew up in in Rockford, IL, and have lived in Normal, IL, Chicago, Washington, DC, Charlottesville, VA, and Virginia Beach. This summer we’re moving to Kitsap County, WA. I’ve recently begun to try a lot harder to embrace rather than resist this crazy military lifestyle.

My Creative Work: Over the last several years, my creative focus has been on making narrative dance pieces that are very accessible to non-dancer audience members. I am interested in making work that is easy to understand and relate to. The movement usually tells a story that the audience can follow and also elicits kinesthetic empathy from the audience. (Kinesthetic empathy is rad- it basically means that when you see another person do or experience something, say leaping through the air, your nervous system reflects that sensation, of soaring freedom in this example, in your own brain-body! Woah!)

Even though I haven’t worked as a dance therapist for a few years (can of worms), my creative work is heavily influenced by my Master’s Degree in Dance/Movement Therapy & Counseling and my work experiences in the field of dance/movement therapy. Human movement naturally reflects both inner psyche and interpersonal relationships. In my choreography, I turn the volume way up, abstract the movement, add a narrative structure, and put it on stage.Other interests: Other than working on MilspoFAN, dancing and spending time with my family, I love to dabble in painting and drawing. My favorite visual artists are Van Gough, Monet, and Brittney Lee. I adore Disney/Pixar animation and have always dreamed of creating dance-animation work like this [Thought of You- Ryan Woodward] and this [Counter Pointe by Kelly Hanks]. The combination of visceral and visual imagery just excites me beyond measure. And I just love working collaboratively in any capacity, especially on creative work, so the isolation that can come with motherhood and moving all the time has been tough.

Some more random things that I like: Designing, building, and customizing websites (the binary nature of this work is a really nice foil to creative work), nerding out about interpersonal neuropsychology and evolutionary and developmental psych, traveling just about anywhere, Chuao Firecracker chocolate, actual fireworks, roller coasters, nectarines, red peppers, the smell of lemons, hyacinths, snapdragons, tiger lilies, Tervis tumblers, swimming, The Muppets, feminism, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, personal finance, clean eating, walks on the beach, Disney World. I DO NOT like horror films and haunted houses.

Hopefully that snapshot is enough to give you a bit of an idea of who you are interacting with here at MilspoFAN. Through the blog, Facebook group, and other MilspoFAN interactions, we will continue to get to know each other even better. I can’t wait to hear all about you, so post something on the Facebook group or in the comments below about yourself and your creative work!

Has this ever happened to you? You’re a couple of months away from a PCS move when you meet a lovely human being. Someone who would make an inspiring artistic collaborator and friend. Oh, the things you could do and create, if only you weren’t moving! You daydream wistfully (or pissed-fully?) about the paintings, music, or choreography that will never be. You imagine working long-distance with this new muse, but know that it won’t be the same. The worst part is that this person has been right under your nose the whole time you’ve lived at your current duty station. You just never happened to meet until now.

It’s frustrating! It’s stupid! It happens every time!

Help!

It’s one of the reasons I’m asking for your help today. Let’s work together to build up the Military Spouse Fine Artists Network, so that we can meet each other more quickly and get to work (and play!). There are tons of little things that you can do to help. Because of the nature of the beast, your participation and contributions, however small they may feel, are absolutely crucial to the success and power of the network. In addition, I am looking for some extra help this summer (because we are having a baby and PCS-ing cross-country), if you’re interested in something that requires a little more of a time investment.

Amazing artistic friendships, international conferences, MilspoFAN artistic grants- remember all those crazy dreams I talked about last week? All of that is only possible if you help me get this bird off the ground. Starting with some baby steps. So scan through the list below and see what you can do to help a mother out.

Here are some ideas of how you can contribute to the cause:

Spread the word! This is by far the most important task, and it’s so easy! Just talk this network up.

Participate in the Facebook group– this couldn’t be easier! Just a few little comments can spark a storm of inspiring activity because of algorithms and stuff. Contributions don’t have to be long, a sentence or two will do. Here are some ideas of what to post:

Tell what you do

Respond to one of the blog posts

Tell us why MilspoFAN matters to you and what you hope to gain by joining us

Tell us something you saw today that was beautiful or made you laugh

What project are you currently working on?

What’s happening in your local art scene?

Describe your daily creative ritual

Vent about challenges in your creative process

Comment on the blog posts!– Super simple, right there below the text. You got it!

Write a guest post for the blog– Blog posts can range from a couple paragraphs to a few page in length with images, video, or other media. Here is our chance to go into more depth about some of the topics mentioned above. Other ideas include:

Celebrate your work or the work of another member

Tell us about your creative process in more detail

Describe a current or past project

Offer tips and advice: What have you learned as a military spouse artist that you wish you’d known years ago?

Spread inspiration and encouragement

Share relevant news stories

Write an arts organization profile- is there an artist or arts organization in your area that you love working with?

Donate some images, illustrations, or other media to spice up the blog and Facebook page

Volunteer to help me out this summer– I will NEED some help with the blog, social media, outreach, and organization, especially in July, August, and September.

Host a meetup! (This might be the one I’m looking forward to the most.) I can’t wait to meet some of your shining faces! Meetups can be formal or casual. Some ideas:

A workshop specifically for MilspoFAN- teach us a little tiny bit about what you love, whether it’s flamenco dance, creative writing, or portrait painting

A small networking event- bring those business cards!

Field trip! -visit a museum or see a performance and then grab drinks and reflect on it afterwards

Purely social – organize a family-friendly picnic on the beach (watch out for seagulls!) or dinner a favorite local restaurant

Write an email or letter to an arts organization you have worked with telling them about MilspoFAN

Collaborate with another MilspoFAN member on a creative project and mention us when you present your work

Send me chocolates or words of encouragement!

See, pretty painless and there’s a wide range of effort and commitment requirements to choose from. Remember, and I cannot stress this enough, that EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS! You can connect with me through a Facebook private message or via the contact page [here] to get involved.

Start right now with a single share on Facebook or a comment on this blog post. Right now… the blog post is over….ready…. go! (and thank you!)

[Up next: A bit about me… who is this “Jessica” character, anyway? And why did she call me a Squirrel?!]

]]>https://milspofan.com/2016/05/04/call-for-help/feed/274Elucidating on the dreamhttps://milspofan.com/2016/04/25/50/
https://milspofan.com/2016/04/25/50/#commentsMon, 25 Apr 2016 21:14:23 +0000https://milspofan.wordpress.com/2016/04/25/50/Welcome back, Beauties!
We begin today with bit of self-indulgent context for today’s post: I’m nearing the end of one of those wildly productive but crazy-making two-week periods where everything is happening at once. You totally know what I’m talking about. You feel overwhelmed and overcommitted, but when you start ticking big things off your to-do list you feel like a total champion. I’m taking this time to write because along with mothering, growing a baby, recovering from a house hunting trip to the other side of the country, buying a house, throwing my bestie’s baby shower 1000 miles from my home, this network damn important to me. And if you’re reading this blog post, it means the Military Spouse Fine Artists Network is important to you, too– you are at least interested and invested in the idea of what this network could be.

You are here. Even though I’ve provided very little information about what this network is for and what it will look like. Is that ambiguity stopping you? Not a chance! “Tally-ho!” you cry with unflinching gusto- because you are a milspouse and THAT is how we roll: headlong into the unfamiliar.

I applaud and thank you for joining me in this leap of faith into another unknown adventure. Now, I’m excited to share my vision and goals for this group. I’ll set out some foundational intentions and goals, as well as some big, ambitious dreams for the future.

Goals for the Military Spouse Fine Artists Network

What is the network meant to achieve?

Connect military spouse artists with each other and their local arts communities

Expedite opportunities for employment, space, collaboration, and other creative needs of the military spouse artist, especially after PCS-ing

Promote military spouse artists and their work

Help local arts organizations quickly connect with fresh military spouse talent that move to their area. (Bonus: local organizations will benefit additionally by drawing new audiences along with milspo talent)

Provide a variety of virtual and in-person networking opportunities for military spouse artists

What will this network actually look like in the near future?

Facebook group: An arena for members to express themselves, ask questions, make connections, introduce themselves and their work, find out what others members are into and up to. [Link to FB group] https://www.facebook.com/groups/822074921231550/

Blog: A place to share news and messages relevant to the military spouse artists community such as artist profiles, announcements about members’ work, news, ideas, commentary

Local networking and social meet-ups for members: attending each other’s shows, teaching a mini workshop, or purely socializing, for example. These may be formally organized by the network or occur spontaneously when interested members choose to meet

Members will help spread the word about the organization, especially to potential new member artists, interested community members, military spouse employment supporters, and arts organizations

What dreams do I dare dream for the network in the future?

hatchling ambitions

Local chapters across the US and around the world

Partnerships with local and national arts organizations

Local conferences

Global conferences (I LOVE me a conference, yo)

A beautiful and powerful website with:

Searchable directory of artists

Profiles including location, artistic discipline(s), and creative or collaborative interests, for example

Contact point directly from the site (so artists don’t have to disclose personal email addresses and phone numbers)

Gallery of work for and maintained by each artist

Online Workshops

Pumped-up version of the blog/news

Beautiful design reflective of and worthy of all the creative talent that the network brings together

MilspoFAN artist grants and prizes

So, are you all fired up now? Because I have a really important mission for you: this week help at least two friends find our Facebook group, introduce themselves to the group, and read the blog (there are only two posts so far, no big deal, right?!). Extra bonus stars if you or a friend comments on the blog!

I hate hounding my friends just as much as anyone. However, I want this network to be a success. You want this to be a success. Your friends really want this to be a success too, they just don’t know it yet! Hey, the only way there’s going to be a network of artistic types waiting to welcome you when you PCS to Guam in two years is if we get this baby growing! So dive in: tell your friends, introduce yourself on the Facebook group if you haven’t yet, share your own thoughts and ideas here in the comments or on Facebook, and get excited. Because we are a glorious and creative force, and we can make this network a reality. Until next time, thank you for connecting!

[Up next on the blog: What you can do to help grow and support MilspoFAN (hint: a bunch of easy things!)]

Greetings & Salutations! Welcome to the Military Spouse Fine Artists Network blog. Let me introduce the network- how it came to be and what to expect.

It all started with two little moments of clarity and three converging inspirations.

The little moments of clarity came in the form of a wish, and then the realization that I could probably grant my own wish with a little (barrel of) elbow grease. I wished that my military lifestyle didn’t make my work as a modern dance choreographer seem so cursing impossible. With each PCS, I wrestled with the Sisyphean challenge of where to find dancers, space, and performance opportunities. This was a real problem, but it also cast a large, scary shadow that almost ended my artistic work. I wished there was an easy way to connect with the lovely creative underbellies in the communities that I found myself landing in- a way to quickly find my artistic tribe without endless, searching cold calls and having to sell myself hard to people who already had amazing local circles and contacts locked down. I mourned for the amazing, organically formed community I was a part of in Chicago after college and grad school and then chose to leave because I’m in mad love with this dude in the Navy.

Thankfully, though, three inspiring happenings converged, cut through the self-pity, and spiked an epiphany in me. First, my dear college roommate’s hard work, talent, and foresight to surround herself with other amazing women recently paid off big time when her show, Teachers, was picked up by TV Land and turned into a legit TV show. Second, I recently had the opportunity to create a fulfilling new piece of choreography called Phoenix Nests and see it performed by talented dancers in a beautiful space. Third, I recently dedicated myself to writing daily Morning Pages, which fostered the mental clarity and space for an epiphany to emerge. And, voila, magic spell complete! I’ll write more on these three catalysts and their convergence in a future post, but for now all you need to know is that they resulted in a genuine “Ah-ha!” moment in which I realized that, duh, in this modern-day hyper-connected climate mywish for a ready-made network of artists is a wish I am perfectly capable of granting for myself and others. And tra-la, MilspoFAN was born!

And then, of course the obligatory doubt and fear bubbled up. Luckily, I have an amazing milspo friend who told me that it was genuinely a great idea and started naming off other milspo artists who might be interested in joining. She’s magical. Probably a fairy godmother, actually.
Anyway, I was delighted to find that I’m not alone as an artistically-minded military spouse. With Fairy Godmother’s help and the launch of a simple Facebook Group, I’m meeting more and more military spouse artists in many disciplines, many of whom also labor under the assumption that that we are each a rare bird. This perceived isolation is not an asset to most artists (or human beings, actually). That’s why I’ve launched the Military Spouse Fine Artists Network- so you and I can easily connect and thrive in a vibrant, inspiring creative community.

But enough about how the idea was born. Let’s get into the meat of this introduction. Everyone, meet MilspoFAN- the Military Spouse Fine Artists Network. MilspoFAN, everyone.

Who is this network for, anyway? Clearly, it’s for military spouses who are also artists, right? Here’s what I mean when I say artist: You self-identify as an artist. You see the work that you make (or that you want to make) as art. You have a basic (or elaborate) philosophy as an artist, even if it is constantly evolving. You see your work as more than craft or commercial design. You may be a visual artist, choreographer, dancer, actor, technical theatre artist, musician, poet and writer, film-maker, animator, jewelry maker, multimedia artist, digital artist, interdisciplinary artist, performance artist… who am I missing? You’re in!

Also, although right in the title I say “military spouse,” any active duty or veteran service member artists are welcome as well. Interested community members are also encouraged to keep up with us on the blog and on Facebook and comment on what they see posted.

Great, so with that clarified, let me tell you what’s next on the blog. I have a few more introductory posts coming up elaborating on my plans and vision for the group before launching into regular content.

Look for these upcoming introductory blog posts:

Goals of the network

Distinguishing between the Blog, the Facebook Group, and the Facebook Page

What kind of regular content to expect on the blog

Challenges of being an artist and a military spouse

The importance of our artistic work

About me

How you can contribute and participate

Future Dreams and Goals for the network

In the meantime, be sure to keep up with us on the Facebook Group and like the Facebook Page. I hope you are as jazzed as I am about this network and the connections to be made across the globe. Thanks for reading!